[Congressional Record: February 17, 2011 (Senate)]
[Page S926-S927]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr17fe11-140]
EXECUTIVE SESSION
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EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to
executive session to consider Calendar No. 12; that the nomination be
confirmed; the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon
the table, with no intervening action or debate; that any statements
related to the nomination be printed in the Record; that the President
be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate
then resume legislative session.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The nomination considered and confirmed is as follows:
office of the director of national intelligence
Stephanie O'Sullivan, of Virginia, to be Principal Deputy
Director of National Intelligence.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of
Ms. Stephanie O'Sullivan to be the Principal Deputy Director of
National Intelligence or PDDNI.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has carefully considered her
nomination and stands strongly in favor of her nomination.
As is the case with many deputies to principals, the Principal Deputy
DNI is an extremely important position that has two main
responsibilities: To assist the DNI, and to act on behalf of the DNI in
his absence or due to a vacancy in the position.
In broader terms, the role of the Principal Deputy DNI is a key one
to the functioning of the Office of the DNI and in the effective and
efficient operation of the Intelligence Community.
If confirmed, Ms. O'Sullivan will be the fourth Principal Deputy DNI
since Congress created the position in 2004. Like the past Directors of
National Intelligence before him, DNI Clapper has made clear the need
to have this position filled. The tasks of managing the Intelligence
Community, running the Office of the DNI, and serving as the primary
intelligence advisor to the President is more than any one official can
fulfill. It is, at minimum, two full time jobs--hence the need to
confirm a deputy.
Furthermore, it is a significant and welcome development that
Director Clapper recommended and that the President nominated Ms.
O'Sullivan to serve in this role. As the current Associate Deputy
Director of the CIA and long-serving CIA official, Ms. O'Sullivan's
confirmation to the Principal Deputy DNI position should help end the
disputes between the Office of the DNI and the CIA that we have seen in
the past.
Ms. O'Sullivan was nominated to be the Principal Deputy DNI on
January 5, 2011. Ms. O'Sullivan completed the committee's standard
questionnaire and responded to a large number of pre-hearing questions.
She appeared before the committee on February 3 and answered all
questions put to her. On February 15, 2011, the Intelligence Committee
voted unanimously to recommend Ms. O'Sullivan's confirmation to the
Senate.
It is clear from her background that Ms. O'Sullivan has the
experience necessary to be an effective Principal Deputy DNI. She has
been the Associate Deputy Director of the CIA since December 2009.
Prior to that position, Ms. O'Sullivan headed CIA's Directorate of
Science and Technology for 4 years. In that role, she managed CIA's
technological innovation and support to case officer operations. In
all, Ms. O'Sullivan spent over 14 years combined in the Directorate of
Science and Technology. Before the CIA, she worked in the Office of
Naval Intelligence, and at TRW, which is now part of Northrop Grumman.
Her current role in the CIA is akin to that of chief operating
officer--similar to her position if confirmed to be Principal Deputy
DNI. She has acquitted herself well in her current capacity and I am
confident she will do so in the position to which she has been
nominated.
In sum, Ms. O'Sullivan will be a great asset to the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence and the intelligence community as a
whole because
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of her experience in the community and the management skills she
developed in her leadership roles at the CIA.
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